This document provides an overview of the Cognizone Coach Training program for improving decision-making skills through brain training exercises. It discusses the benefits of brain training for academics, athletics, and family life. The program framework involves 10-15 minute student-coach training sessions followed by 10-15 minutes of app-based exercises. Coaches are encouraged to prepare lessons in advance and focus on making sessions fun and challenging for students. Consistency is emphasized through weekly training minutes and long-term commitment, similar to other extracurricular programs. Data-driven planning helps coaches evaluate student progress and adjust lessons accordingly. The goal is for both students and coaches to enjoy the brain training experience.

1. Cognizone Coach Training 1.2
Tom Baker, Director
Heartscope Learning, Kansas City
www.greatbraincoach.org

2. Brain Training Benefits
#1 = Decision Speed
 Sports
 Performing Arts
 „Life‟
 Competition is competitive
 At each „next level‟, organic differences between
participants becomes less pronounced,
While…
 Mental control skills assume greater significance
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3. Academic Benefits
#2 = Invest Time to Save Time
 Underlying skills to work smarter, not harder
 Brain efficiency provides more free time
 Less fatigue during overscheduled periods
 Physical
 Mental
 Emotional
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4. #3 = Family Benefits
 Families‟ quality of life
 One child‟s academic or athletic obstacles impact
more than just that child
 Reduced performance stress leads to less
household stress for the entire family
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5. Long Term View
Happy, Healthy, Confident Young Adults
 More important than grades..?
 Long term growth in self-confidence
Best measured by others…. Or self-assessed?
 Willingness to take challenges head-on
School …. Sports …. Friends …. Family
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6. Benefits of Decision Training
 Quality of decisions
 Especially when fatigued or sore
 Bouncing back from mistakes
 “Real” competition only takes place when
Competitors possess similar underlying skills
Something is worth striving for
 Impossible to avoid mistakes
The „secret‟ to success lies in how well players respond
when they do
 “Learning how to fail”
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7. Muscle Metaphor
Cognitive “Strength” vs
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Curriculum “Knowledge”

8. New Coaches’ Top Priority
 During neurobic training, the way in which coaches
non-verbally respond
to their student is far
more important
than how precisely coaches follow our recipe guide.
 There are no rules, guidelines or recommendations
in this or any other training manual that will ever
this guidance.
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9. Students’ Long Term RESULTS
Directly Related To:
1. The total number of „training minutes‟
invested with your student each week.
2. Your consistency in completing those minutes
week by week
just like any other youth athletic, music or
dance training program
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„training minutes‟ has a specific and
important definition to us
(we‟ll cover this later)

10. Consistency Comes From
A. Your EFFICIENCY in turning „clock minutes‟
into „training minutes‟

We‟ll help you with this
B. How well you RECRUIT other adults to help
support YOU.
 Few families first learning to coach will optimize their
results without one grownup taking charge of training,
 And a second grownup (spouse, friend, relative)
taking charge of supporting the other while they are
taking charge of training.
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11. Efficiency in Training Minutes
Begins with …
 How well YOU as a coach prepare yourself.
 Before your first session with a student
 Before every session thereafter
(only takes a few minutes once you get the hang
of it)
Remember…
 Invest time now, to save time later
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12. Good News: As A New Coach,
You will succeed
at your present skill level simply by
PREPARING, and …
FOLLOWING the recipe book line by line.
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13. Nuts and Bolts

14. A Typical Workout Begins….
Before student arrives
 7-10 minutes of coach preparation
 Organizing games and materials: 3 minutes
 Sketch out a lesson plan: 4-5 minutes
 Turn off your phone
Later, as coaches gain confidence,
 Lesson prep for a new session will take less time, and
Can be done at the end of the previous session
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15. The Student Workout
Warm-up
 Opens with a warm greeting
Intensity
 10-15 minute (training minute) series of
 1-3 minute „plays‟
Cool-down
 10-15 minutes of „app play‟
 iPad or handheld DS preferred (online option)*
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Certain situations lend themselves
to online vs handheld „app‟ training.
See our website for details.

16. Results of Training
..vs If Workouts Stressful
If Fun AND Challenging
 Workout sessions „fly by‟
 Rewarding for both coach
and student
 Visible growth in 6-8 weeks
 Significant growth after
10-14 weeks
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 Coach and/or student dreads /
resists coaching
 Coach resorts to bribes or threats
 Someone (usually grownup) quits
to stop the drama
 Student performance declines
 Adult discomfort/guilt grows

17. Program Framework
Student-side
1. First Week sessions
 10-15 minutes student / coach
 10-15 minutes student / iPad
2. Second Week
 Learn new plays
 Short duration per play
3. Weeks 3+
 Learn Best-line plays -- Increase duration per play
 Learn variations per play
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 Increase complexity per play to match proximal challenge

18. Program Framework
Coach-side
1. Prior to student sessions
 Collect / buy training games
 Recruit an adult „training buddy‟
 Preview lesson design and game-play (non-neurobic)
 Student / coach / family scheduling
2. First 2 Weeks‟ Sessions
 Both Coach and Student learning new plays and workout format
3. Future weeks
 Coach increasing in confidence and flow
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 Better equipped to balance fun/challenge for maximum growth

19. Lesson Design Basics
1. Training complexity „levels‟ start with basic, progress to
advanced
1. Levels 00,10,20,30, etc
2. Levels 00, 10 and 20 build coach proficiency
3. Levels 30+ build student strength and speed
2. Daily coach/student session comprised of 7-12 „plays‟
1. 1-5 minutes each –
2. Minimize downtime between plays („bridge‟)
3. Always Fun
4. Always Challenging
3. Each play includes 2-4 play „types‟ (variations)
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20. Play ‘Types’
Coach-side
 C-Prep = Coach preparation steps for a specific play
 C-Prep-U = Universal preparation
 Daily
 R-Tune = Reflect and tune student progress
 End of week
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21. Play Types (cont.)
With student present
 C-Model – Play introduction
 20-90% coach modelling method of play
 T-CORE – „CORE‟ training
 60-90% student accuracy
 B-Line – „Bestline‟
 90%+ student accuracy – pushing to improve speed
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NOTE: iPad apps don‟t have a type,
unless they are coached or tracked

22. Daily Lesson Plan
(1 slice of week’s plan)
C-Model First
T-CORE Next
Back to Back!
(No B-Line Scheduled )
Student on iPad (uncoached)
C-Prep To Prepare
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No R-Tune Scheduled

23. Weekly Lesson Plan
Session Number
C-Model– Coach Guided
T-CORE – Student CORE
R-Tune – Coach Analysis
Play Names
Student on iPad (uncoached)
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C-Prep – Coach Prepare

24. Coaches’ Initial Preparation
1.
Getting familiar with the brain games as games
2. Getting familiar with our training tools

Program framework

Brain games as training tools
3. Organizing family schedule and home workspace

Seek to eliminate downtime during a workout

Reducing coaches‟ own schedule stress


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Predictable in-home support, OR
Consideration to move training offsite

25. One Week Prior To Student
Training,
 Coach support coach (Coaching Buddy)
Coach not starting workouts with student,
… until confident fully prepared
 Both adults investing 3-4 sessions getting familiar,
first with the games as games,
then how to use the games in a training plan.
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26. As Coaches Improve Their
Skills and Confidence
Cognizone will provide EVEN MORE
 Training plans
 Training tools
 Training levels
In Return, we seek
 Weekly reporting of training minutes
 Student progress / challenges
 Suggestions to improve coach support
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27. Data-Driven Planning (R-Tune)
 Daily - Coach daily notes
 2-5 minutes
 Student metrics
 Essential: Analyze factors for Fun AND Challenge
 Weekly – Analysis
 5-10 minutes
 Analyze student progress vs goals
Adjust for roadblocks
 Coach self-assess own steps to more effective techniques.
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28. Expected Duration of Training
 Metaphor for sports‟ families:
 Baseball season … Basketball season … Brain season
 Successful programs result more from HOW the training
relationship evolves
 vs how long per day or per season
 First season = learn the ropes
 Coach and student alike
 Future seasons potentially shorter than first
 Often in „booster‟ format
 Every year … every other year
 Based on student needs and family goals
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29. Coaches Don’t Have To Be
Brain Experts
 Leave the science part to us ….
 Indeed the only „grade‟ you will receive on your
coaching performance will be based on …
HOW MUCH FUN
… you and your student experience
completing each level.
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30. Your Biggest Challenge May Be
Finding The Time ….
 To be a great brain coach.
 We have several suggestions to share,
 Including examples from other busy families
able to carve out time to
Be successful
Have FUN!
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31. INVEST Time To SAVE Time.
 All families are busy.
 “Fit Your Own Oxygen Mask First’
 Some activities are ESSENTIAL, some not.
 There‟s a difference between an essential activity
and an urgent one.
 Just because everyone you know is clamoring for
your time and attention,
…it doesn‟t mean you have to give it to them, no
questions asked…
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32. By Investing Time Now,
 Your PAYBACK will
be more time in the
future.
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33. Reminder…
 If it‟s not fun…
 For BOTH of you
…. then it‟s not
Cognizone training
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34. Thank
You!
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